It's Time for School!

For a few years now, we've been starting school in July when it's so hot out they can't go outside...  We usually get done about April, so I can deal with this schedule.  


I put off my school organizing waaaaayyy too long this year. So here's the rundown..  Andrew is going into 2nd grade.  He tested awesomely when we did the placement tests to switch him over to ACE Paces.  Eva is going into 1st grade with Abeka.  Grace is still having fun with another round of preschool.  Hannah is along for the ride, I'm still hoping to get some ABC toys for her that only come out during school.. but we'll see.  

So let's start at the top.   

We found an awesome church home and family last fall.   It's such a blessing to have a church to call home.  I must admit I'm still getting used to having like-minded moms I can physically talk with.  So much of my mom interaction has been online for so long, I've almost forgotten how to act.   Anyway, the church has it's own school... As much as I love having the kids home and teaching them myself, I would LOVE to  be able to send them to the church for school.  I would still be a big part in their schooling as parents go in and help out at least once a week.   But for now, it's not possible... So we decided to start the kids on the curriculum they use, which for now (they use a variety in older grades)is ACE.   

We had looked at ACE when we first committed to using a set program.  But it was too expensive.  Thanks to the Lord we can afford it now.  We're getting the books through the church every quarter.. For the base curriculum it was $25.20 for the first quarter.   So unless we go with electives, we're looking at about $100 for Andrew for the year.  

I'm still figuring everything out, but it seems like it will be mostly little to no planning for me (WOOHOO), and it also looks like he'll love it.  The work pages are about what he was doing per day last year, the reading (so far) is  A LOT LESS, although we have been told it's a lot of reading-so we may be in for a suprise in the next set of books.  I will definitely be doing a blog post-and maybe even a vlog on ACE after the baby comes..  We're 3 weeks into school now and he's starting to finish up some paces..  We're loving it.. Most everything is review, but the math he is already getting into some new things..  But I can deal with the review while we're getting used to the new curriculum and review is never a bad thing. 

When we had talked with the pastor who heads the school, we had wanted to start both Eva and Andrew in ACE...  After considerations on the cost, we decided to just leave Eva with Abeka since we have everything.  So that's what we did.  You can see that book haul from last year here.  I am doing more phonics with Eva than I did with Andrew last year because the reading just hasn't "clicked" with her yet.  But that's ok, she'll get it.   

I also ordered the next level of cursive books from Abeka for Andrew and Eva and the Letters and Sounds 1 Test book that I forgot last year. That order was $50.  ($150-$170 for a whole school year for 3 kids' curriculum!!)  

For Grace's school, I had all the papers (or files saved on my computer), I just had to copy and organize. I also realized I need to reorganize the folder I keep those in.. because..it's a mess.. 

So I've been organizing and copying as much as my swollen feet can stand it for the first 2 weeks of July.  I still need to figure out how I'm going to keep grades this year.. I didn't like how I did it with Andrew last year and I have no idea how I'm supposed to do it with ACE-but I have at least until he gets done with the first set of books and help is at church.   I'm sure Dennis can help me figure out something on a spreadsheet if I can find something close to what I'm thinking.   For now, I just have everything in my notebook..  Sort of like a homemade bullet style journal.  I have calendar pages (which isn't working out that great... I need something bigger for next year), and grading pages.  I am going to get together with the second grade teacher at church to make sure I'm grading and recording grades correctly.  

So we're started school Monday, July 16th.  I spent about an hour going through Andrew and Eva's to get the first few weeks planned out.  I really want to get a few weeks under my belt before baby comes.  I know from last year the more we get into the school year, the faster the planning will go.  Grace just does one lesson a day (one letter a week).  

Eva's planning.. My bullet style planner (which I already know WON'T WORK).. And of course the doll photo bomb...because... kids.

Andrew's planning.  Those are homemade goal cards... We make a plan for each subject for them to get done by the end of the week... Pretty sure I'm doing this right... Something to ask about.  I also have the same lesson plan in my book. Andrew gets the goal cards in his stuff.

So yeah, week 3 into our school year and I think we have a good routine down.  It still only takes us about 2 hours, after baby comes and we get back into school we might increase work a little bit, but we'll see how things go.  For now, at least, we are taking things slow and getting into the routine.  

Have a great week!! 

~Tabitha

Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning for July/August

I've come to dread this time of the month... Making sure we stay under budget while also making sure everybody is fed is hard.  

Right now I'm also trying to balance getting all the baby sewing done, getting some furniture rearranged before baby comes, getting school stuff ready.. Add in all the regular household chores and having to rest.. There's not enough hours in the day.  Thankfully the grocery list is something I can do while resting.  

We aren't doing too many new meals this month..  Just felt like I needed a break from the new.. We're still working on trying some freezer meals out so I can have some things in the freezer...  Even if we don't use them until after Dennis goes back work, it will be a good tool to have in the freezer.  As for the breakfasts, I've decided we're just going to grab a box of premade breakfast sandwiches, a package of precooked bacon, and a box of poptarts..  As for suppers we are seriously considering ordering a week's worth of from Blue Apron or something like that..  

So, onto the meal plan...  Breakfast is the usual...  eggs, bacon, yogurt, cereal, juice, almond milk, coffee of course..  We added cinnamon monkey bread to the mix this month, it was REALLY yummy so definitely keeping that around.  

For Dennis' work lunches he's sticking with the salads.. Avocados are cheap right now, so we're mixing up the boiled eggs with some avocados instead.  
For our lunches the kids are requesting mac and cheese... I've been doing sort of a meatless goulash (noodles and spaghetti sauce), I'm going to see if Sam's has the cheese sauce in bulk... Not the best, I know, but I just want something easy-and they don't like my homemade mac and cheese.   I also did some homemade hot pockets that went over great, I didn't have enough cheese to make more than one batch, so we're getting more cheese this month and I'll make enough to throw some in the freezer.   Chicken strips and fries, leftovers, meatball subs (mini hoagie rolls, Italian meatballs, mozarella cheese and spaghetti sauce).  Sundays we're sticking with our pita sandwiches, but we'll probably end up doing a different meat this month just for some variety.  Also, instead of chips we're going to buy some of our favorite snacks and make a homemade snack mix along with something sweet (case of individual cookie snack bags or something from Dollar Tree).  

For the kids' snacks, I'm hoping to get some goldfish while they are on sale at Sam's.. They also really like the homemade trail mix I did with peanuts, raisins and m&ms.  Mix that up with fruit and we'll be good to go.

Dinners..  We decided to add in a few casseroles this month.  I'm still working on getting the freezer pizzas figured out (the middle doesn't like getting done).. I was told to mummify them in seran wrap before freezing.. So we're going to try that.. If that doesn't work, then I definitely thawing before baking should do the trick.. 

So.. 
Tator Tot Casserole
Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Casserole
Chicken Parmesan Bake
Shrimp and Kielbasa
Hamburgers and hot dogs 
Dorita Taco Salad
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Five Spice Tilapia and Fried Rice
Smithfield pork loin with potatoes and broccoli
Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches and fries
Homemade Pizza-Hawaiian, cheese, pepperoni, pepperoni and veggies
Honey Mustard Chicken Avocado Salad
BLT Salad
Pineapple Chicken Tenders with peppers and pineapple
Chicken and Veggie Baked Egg Rolls (also a freezer meal)
Caprese Chicken
Simple Mexican Chicken with yellow rice


Well... Post Grocery shopping.  We're worn out, van has a flat tire in a town where the town shuts down for the weekend at noon.  Thankfully it kept air in it enough to get us home.  

So..Sam's.. We didn't find the meatballs for meatball subs, so Saturdays might get interesting.  We are making a homemade trail mix for Sundays to go with our sandwiches, so we grabbed some m&ms from Sam's.  We spent $292.86 at Sam's. 

Dollar Tree.  We didn't need too much at Dollar Tree, but stocked up on what we did need.  Spent $25.56. 

Walmart.  That's always the one that seems to put us over.  We had a ton of cereal coupons, so the kids got to pick some cereal out, we also got some poptarts-which I'm debating if we should wait until baby comes, or just have a treat and eat them.  We spent $207.90

Aldi.  Aldi usually helps us out a little here.. BUT.. we found a few deals we couldn't pass up.  They had a 10 pack of kid's underwear for $10, and a 3 pack of activity books for $2.49.. So we grabbed though.  We also grabbed most of the ingredients for our trail mix from Aldi.  Banana chips, sesame chips, raisins, peanuts, and a few versions of granola.  We spent $175.64

So in all we spent $701.96.  


What was I saying the bacon saving us money?  I do expect the homemade trail mix  to last us more than one month... And we will get some extra meals for the freezer out of this month for when baby comes.   So that will help in the long run, too.  


Have a great week! 

~Tabitha

Grocery Saving Apps for Your Android

I know I've mentioned we are trying out some grocery saving apps... I didn't want to share them until I knew how they worked... So now that we're getting to know them, how to use them and have even cashed out on a few of them- here is me sharing. 

I'm also going to share a referral code for those apps that have it, if you want to put it in, then that helps us out.   If you don't want to, then don't.  Most of the apps we went through and found a goal we wanted to work for-usually an Amazon gift card.  My husband has a spreadsheet on his computer for his survey sites and the money saving apps.  We have also found out that we have to look for coupons FIRST online, then go into the savings apps and "clip" the digital coupons, or we can't print off the online coupons.  


IBotta 
This one is one I've heard about from many different bloggers..  Now while it does have a few generic "carton of eggs", "gallon of milk" ".25 off grocery receipt".. Most of Ibotta is very brand and very store specific.   So we don't get much out of it, but we are getting some.  For Ibotta there is a $20 threshold to reach to cash out.  You go through the app and find whatever you have on your list for each store, then "clip" the coupon.. Once you get home from the store, you have to scan the receipt and sometimes the bar code-that depends on the item I'm finding. Just like the paper coupons, it really depends on what's loaded on as to what you find. It does have more than groceries, but we only use it for groceries because that's all we ever buy lol. If you want to use my referral code and try it out the code is "gwwaqep". After 3 months, we have $8.60 on the app.  Now, if you can get to $10 in the first 4 weeks, you get $10 from the company (apparently), we didn't get there..so I can't confirm that, but that's what it says when you sign up. 

SavingStar
This one is even more brand specific.  Although we are seeing a lot of offers that are basically "buy 2 of your choice from Kelloggs (or another brand) get so much back".  Instead of a specific item, although it has those too.  This one I sometimes leave until after we are done, then go through and load the offers.  I've had to scan the barcode on the box and the receipt for proof of purchase. In 3 months we've earned $.82. LOL You need $20 to cash out. 

Receipt Hog
This app you can load almost any receipt into and get something..  I do everything BUT gas receipts.. it will tell you if it can't give you anything.  You do have to answer a few short survey questions with some of them-every receipt asks you who went, how was your visit.  I did earn about 100 coins last week because of a few brand specific items we bought.  Receipt Hog also lets you connect to Amazon and your email to scan for receipts.  In 3 months we've earned 866 "coins", we need 1000 to get $5 on Amazon. 

Walmart App
The Walmart app has the savings catcher... Since I always look at all the ads anyway, it usually doesn't do us much good.. But we have earned $.45 on it. You need $10 to get a Walmart gift card.  I figure since I'm scanning receipts, it can't hurt to take a picture of one, one more time.  

Fetch Rewards 
Fetch is one of my favorites. The only thing you can't redeem through them is restaurant receipts.  We've tried. lol.  It just tells you unable to process.  Even the little local shops we get something for it as long as the app can read the receipt.  We have cashed out on Fetch once already, and we're already back up 2,162 points. We need 5,000 to get $5 Amazon gift card.  This is one you can go in and find the digital coupons... or you can just let it find the coupons for you.. It takes a little longer to process when it has to find the coupons, but we're in no hurry, so we just let it. If you want to try this out with my referral code, the code is "T4PVA".. It says you get 2000 points and I get 2000 points when your first receipt is approved. 

ShopKick 
We are still trying to figure this one out... I'm adding it to my list in hopes somebody uses it and can tell me how to. LOL It says you can earn from walking in the store, scanning your receipt or scanning bar codes.... It's very brand and item specific... But we have yet to figure out how to earn just walking the in the store... So there it sits in hopes we can figure it out. lol If you are interested in trying it out my code is "MALL688333"..  It says "when someone accepts your invite and gets their first Walk-in or Scan (within 7 days of joining) you both earn 250 kicks.   Sooo... if you think you want to figure it out.. It does sound like a good 
app... I just can't figure it out. lol

Checkout51
This one is worse than SavingStar when it comes to being brand specific.   We bought a certain brand of toilet cleaner last month simply to get the $5 cash back on it (making it free once we get enough to cash out).  You have to go in and load the offers before you scan the receipt... and it has to be clearly labeled on the receipt.  We have to get to $20 to cash out. 

ReceiptPal 
Another of my absolute favorites.  The only thing it won't give me points for is.. no wait restaurants do go through... You can upload any receipt on this and get some points.. For every 4 receipts that are completed, you get an extra 100 points. You need 2000 to get $5 on Amazon, we have 1650 after 3 months. You have 7 days from the date on the receipt to get them scanned in, but other than that, you're good to go. 

We print almost all of our coupons through a survey site we both use called MyPoints.  For each coupon you print off and redeem, you get 10 points.. There's also different coupons and things to do on the website to get points.   Along with a lot of different cash out gift cards.   

Keep in mind that although I kept saying how many points you need to get an Amazon card, there are many other options for cash out on each app.  

I think that's all the apps we use... It sounds like a lot.. but it's stuff we are buying anyway, so to me it's worth it to take 15 minutes and scan stuff in.. Each different app will walk you through how they want you do it.  


Have a great week! 

~Tabitha

Cloth Diaper Love!! Getting Ready For Baby 2018

Today, we talk cloth diapers. Fair warning-this is a long post-but there is pictures!

We've been cloth diapering since Andrew came in 2010... 

My sister got me started on it, you can check out her business and blog here.  She's a doula in Nebraska, she's also done a guest post for me.  

When I first started looking into it, she told me she could tell me all about it, but it might be simpler to just read about it at my own pace.  Believe it or not, there is A LOT to learn about cloth diapers! So my sis sent me to Green Mountain Diapers.  They sell all kinds, and they also educate the buyer on what it is they NEED, what's "fun", what the different kinds are, what's different about them... You get the idea?  Now, there's awesome resources.. There's places on Facebook and in a lot of major cities where you can buy used diapers.  

My personal favorites are All In One One Size Pockets (I think I have that name right).  They have your protective (water proof) cover, they have a fleece pocket, and they come with microfiber inserts.  You stuff the diapers with the microfiber..  Now, you can always buy more microfiber inserts, or you can go to your local Dollar Store and buy car washing microfiber rags.... Or you can just get a pack of Gerber prefolds and have extra stuffing... Which is extremely helpful for days out and overnight.  Also with this kind, they come with (what seems like) about a million snaps.. You can put baby in them from about 7 lbs (my 6 lbs newbies didn't fare too well with the legs fitting.. and trust me, you want the legs to fit) to about 25 lbs was when mine grew out of them. 

My personal favorite diapers are Kawaii.  They are less expensive than most, but just as good in my opinion. We were given ours as baby presents when Eva was born in 2012.  They finally wore out last year-but just the covers, I still have ALL the inserts. 

Or, if you want to go with the old fashioned diapers, you can do that!  Gerber has those at any retail (though I personally wouldn't buy Gerber ever again, I know price is a huge factor.. and they are cheap).  My sister has used bamboo prefolds and LOVED them.  There's also flat folds-and YouTube videos to show you how to fold them... I always need a refresher course. I prefer using the prefolds with no cover while babe and I are laid up in bed for the first couple days.. They are more gentle on their skin and I'm holding baby pretty much 24/7 those first few days at least anyway, so with no cover it's fine.  Now, if you choose this way, you don't have to stress over the old fashioned pins, they have new covers that will hold the diaper in place without needing any type of pin, or they have this awesome little gadgets called Snappis that aren't poky, but hold the diaper on simply and pinless.. They have the little gripper like things the ACE bandages use to come with.  

Now, there are a ton of pictures and I will try to explain as much as I can.  

My leftover inserts, a flat fold, a few homemade prefolds, fleece linings and a few covers and the awesome little things that replace diaper pins!  Keep scrolling. (Just think Dory from Finding Nemo lol)

This is a closeup of the microfiber Kawaii inserts.. There are two kinds hidden in this pile.  There's regular and there's heavy wetter. The heavy wetter ones have more layers.  Now, you see that blue cloth at the bottom? That's a microfiber rag from a store..  Just tri-fold it to fit in your diaper.  You do not want the microfiber up against baby's skin,  which is why they are best used in pockets-you'll see that later... be patient. There are also fleece pieces, they are cut roughly the size of a baby's bum.. I mostly use these with the prefolds, the fleece wicks the moisture away from baby's skin.

These are those pin replacement thinga-ma-jiggys.  They look complicated, but they aren't. I promise.  They are called Snappis. I found them at Green Mountain Diapers. 

Here is one of my cheap pockets... Only used in a time of distress! LOL ... or for potty training ;) 

This is a BubuBibi cover.  No, I have NO IDEA where I got it from.  I have 5, and I bought them 8 years ago.. I have had to restitch some of the edging back on..  I should have unsnapped this all the way...  That whole double row of snaps makes it adjustable-like the velcro on disposable, the flaps on the side also have a double layer of snaps to make it smaller.. There's snaps (that are snapped) to make the butt part smaller... Now (I just learned this when Hannah came 2 years ago), you see that lonely looking snap in the middle?  That's to snap the middle of the diaper down to keep it off the umbilical cord.  All of the One Size diapers have it. 

Cloth Diaper love!!!  A cool thing about cloth?  Fun designs usually don't cost extra, unless it's personalized..  Some of this stack are Kawaii Minky-the outside (attached to the waterproof lining) is the minky fleece!! <3 Love me some minky fleece!! These are all, All in One One Size Pocket Diapers.

I didn't have specific newborn cloth until I had Hannah-and those were a few hand-me-downs from my sister.  These are specific newborn All in One Pocket Diapers.  They will go from about 6 lbs to 10 lbs.  There are a few covers hidden in there... I think I got a picture, stay tuned. 

This is a pair of wool "underwear"..  Those times when baby is getting a rash but you REALLY don't want to (or can't afford to) go buy disposables ('sposies)... Put babe in a prefold, pull these up over.  They let baby's skin breath while you still have that extra layer of protection.  I've never actually used these before, but I've seen my sister use them. 

This is one of those newborn covers.. See all those snaps!!!  You just put a prefold or flat fold in the middle and snap it on babe just like a disposable. 

The inside of a pocket diaper.  That's all fleece to make it nice and soft for baby's skin.  There is a pocket between this layer and the layer of waterproof to stuff it as thick as you can. 

Microfiber inserts for the newborn diapers. They are about half the size of the inserts from above.

Prefolds. These are not your momma's prefolds!!  Prefolds can now come in different sizes.  (Seriously.. I had no idea until my sister told me! lol).  There is at least two sizes.. maybe 3 in this picture... I've seen as many as 5 sizes on websites.  There is barely a difference between each size, but they sew them with different colored thread on the end so you can tell.  

Homemade prefolds... Are now becoming burp clothes... Because my sister is awesome.  Even if you don't want to cloth diaper, buy a pack of prefolds for burp cloths. They are inexpensive, absorbent and easy to tell from your towels. ;) 

Flat folds. These are your momma's diapers.  Or grandmomma's diapers... Depends on the family lol.   This is also a reason why I say I wouldn't buy Gerber again..  On the right, is a Gerber I bought with Andrew... On the left is a (I have no idea what brand or how old...) but it's one I got from my sister. You see that size difference?!?!  All that "extra" is that much more absorbency.

Right now, almost all of the diapers are in the baby's dresser.. Simply because I wanted them out of the tote that was in the way... But they will be finding a new home soon-in the bathroom on the shelf.. When baby's clothes come out of storage.  

I am slowly getting things out and ready for baby.. Obviously, I can only go so fast-which is a slow pace right now lol.  But baby will be in our room for awhile, then move into a bigger kid room depending on girl or boy.  So we can't just take up a whole corner (or two) of our room for a long time before baby comes.  So, a little bit at time, we'll get things out.. and share with you.

See my first post about getting ready for baby here.   

Have a great week! 

~Tabitha

Grocery Shopping June/July

So you can see my meal plan I was shopping with in the previous post..  We did change things up a bit before we went shopping.. We decided to go ahead and get cereal instead of making granola... And we also changed things up a bit with our Sunday lunches..  We had been planning on getting pizzas for lunch (depending on deals we can feed all 6 of us for between $16-$20, closer to $14 if we do Little Caesar's), but after working out a new budget, that was shut down..  We decided to buy fixings for pita bread sandwiches-which went over AWESOME and only cost us around $30 for the whole month, I haven't done the exact math yet.  Although we did decide we could easily get a case of something sweet from Sams or cheap cookies from Dollar Tree to go along with and still keep the cost really low.  

Now, we did have it a bit lower than this for the MONTH total, but then The Meat Lodge ad came in my email and they had bacon on sale for cheaper than anywhere else we can get it.. Now, that link is to their Facebook page because for whatever reason whenever I pull up the web page, I get a really annoying ad..  But they put their ads on Facebook.   Anyway, their special for bacon came out to $2.79 a pound (for fresh, local bacon!!), BUT you have to buy 15 pounds at a time... So total for bacon was $42, but that's going to last us around 2 1/2 months, so completely worth it to pay a little more at a time.  We also picked up some buffalo sticks for a treat while we were at Meat Lodge. Total was $57.49 

Walmart... We had a bunch of coupons and a bunch of things we had on a maybe list, depending on what our total was from the other stores.. A few of those things we decided we just needed to get-for our sanity.  We needed an everything killer (grass/weeds/sapling roots).. because our yard is in need of some major TLC..  So we went ahead and got that.  We also needed some chemical ant killer, because these ants JUST WON'T DIE.  I had a lot of clothes pins disappear on me, so we spent $2 on 100 clothes pins, and Andrew read 10 books, so he got to pick out a hot wheel.  We're also trying out Damp Rid..  the refillable containers, the crystals to refill it are $10, the containers were $2.67 each, I bought two..  We can't afford a real humidifier right now, so this will do.. I hope.  Walmart was $186.33

Oh the Farmer's Market!  We stopped first thing at Sioux Falls Farmer's Market (right by Falls Park if you live close).  They had an awesome selection including fresh local coffee and brick fired pizza ($5-$8 I believe) for a fresh made pizza, not too bad.  Unfortunately I couldn't pay the price they needed for a lot of their veggies, so we weren't able to get much from there.  Fortunately, I did find a stand that had good prices on green onions, so I grabbed green onions and honey there.. $22 at the Farmer's Market. Not our usual honey, but it was a good price and Dennis said it tasted really good-she let us sample it.  

So... halfway through.. where are we at.. $265.82  

We did get vitamins, peroxide, sterile scissors (baby birthing supplies) and another carpal tunnel wrist support (so I can weed eat again).. but all of those came off the HSA account, so they don't get included into this total.  

So..  Here we go again... 

We needed trash bags, coffee and ziploc bags at Sam's.  The rest was all grocery..  Pork Chops we were able to get for a little cheaper as we were there before the crowds and got the "old" meat that was on sale vs the new cuts.. And presliced cheese was on the instant saver this month, so I could get the presliced instead of chunk and having to slice it myself (I hate that job lol).  I believe the rest was normal grocery... Oh, we also bought white flour to help the flour cost...and to use just white flour with some things... like pizza crust...and cookies... and try to make my own crescent rolls one more time...  We did buy a bunch of bread, yes, I know, this is why we bought a bread maker, but their hoagie rolls are awesome on the calories and yummy to top.. We much prefer their Kaiser hamburger buns (eating Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches) and pita bread. We spent $294.11

Now onto Aldi.  Man, I love Aldi lol.  I had taken gatorade off my list because of price..  I know, it's loaded with salt, but my blood pressure is pretty much non existent, so when we have days where I'm not able to drink much water, I need the extra boost and there's only so much water I can drink on Sundays, but they had a case for $9 so we grabbed it.  We also decided that instead of buying our fries already made, we're going to do our own again. *whimper*.. But it saved us a good $10 in groceries.  I can do this!  Dennis did treat me and buy me a french fry cutter, we'll try that out Wednesday.. The reviews all said to make sure you get smaller potatoes.. so we did the smaller potatoes at Aldi, 10# for 3.49..   Fries are 5# for 6.98, so it will save us money, especially if the kids don't eat them lol.   They did have Kerrygold in stock this month YAY.. and we did pick up an extra of those, because it's twice as much Walmart and it's butter so it freezes..  We also grabbed a container of mushrooms for homemade pizza and ingredients to make some homemade trail mix-honey roasted peanuts, raisins and they had small bags of m&ms for cheap-so those are an extra, but worth it.   I was hiding them from the kids... but then I realized they have no idea was and m&m package looks like.... Is that sad? lol.   Last month I just used baking chips, but m&ms won't melt before they eat them like baking chips do lol.  Other than the diapers (180 for $21), the most expensive thing we bought at Aldi was Cold Cafe Bustelo, Cafe Con Leche-a 4 pack for 5.79.  Finding authentic Cuban coffee up here is getting a little more common, and my husband LOVES it.. So we grabbed one box (four containers).  The cans are tiny-he can drink it in two swallows lol, but it's cheaper than a coffee shop or the vending machine coffee and definitely stronger.  Well, after all that rambling, total at Aldi was $159.54. 


So.. that brings our total to $719.47... That's $180 per week for all six of us, including household items.. Or $30 a week for one person, for 3 meals plus a snack.  Seeing it in total stings a bit.  But I know there was $60 with just bacon (and buffalo sticks), we won't have to spend for a few months.. So that'll be $25 for next month.. and then depending on how is much, at least $12 less the month after that.  So while it hurts with that huge total this month, it'll pay off next month.  

We are trying to cut expenses as much as we can, while still trying to balance and have a few fun things here and there.  We did end up getting $6 back from our savings apps (I'll do a blog post on all of those now that I'm starting to get payouts and know how they work), this month was definitely the biggest with those.  Dennis always checks for coupons-though we've figured out you look for coupons online BEFORE you "clip" the digital ones on the apps.  So a lot of things we were able to use double coupons...  I know we saved at least $4 at Sams buying the cheese on instant saver, but it's not showing that on the receipt this time, and $4 on the pork chops.  Our receipt from Walmart says we saved $9 with the paper coupons. We have to scan that receipt into a new saver website Dennis found.. As long as that works, we'll get another couple dollars back on the laundry soap.  

But that's it for the groceries. Now begins the baking to have some easy lunches ready and the sewing for baby.  I'm going to try some smaller pieces with the same sandwich and machine quilting before I start in on the baby's quilt.  I've never done a design before (it's hearts I want to do), and I would love to do that.. But I'll be satisfied with just lines lol.  I don't have the quilting foot or the quilting guide for my machine, so my lines not end up straight.. but I'll do my best.  

Have a great week!!  

~Tabitha

Meal Planning for June/July

How can it be the middle of June already?! 

It dawned on me the other day I only have 10-14 weeks before baby #6 comes.   

I'm not ready for this... Does that sound weird? lol.  We have everything we need.  Thanks to my sister, we have a car seat and a new cloth diaper stash (I'll be sharing that in a later post).  Thanks to big kids, we already have a ton of clothes and the bit of baby gear we need.   If we have a boy, we'll have to make sure we have nicer clothes for church... and depending on how fast babe grows depends on what I'll need to make or find for winter clothes... We've never had a baby in the fall or late summer before, they've all been late winter/spring babies.   

Now that being said.. I'm feeling this heat.  Oof it's rough.  I'm used to walking a lot in the summer.. because that's when we can walk and I was really looking forward to being able to get out and walk at least a few times a week.  Well..  Those walks are going to have to slow down or get shorter, baby did not like the walk we took the other day. 

Now.  Onto the meal planning. 

I'm switching some things up a bit.. We are trying our best not to turn the AC on unless needed.. which means I'm trying to cook food in the oven on batches and on colder days.   I'm also trying out some freezer foods for when baby comes..  Frozen homemade pizza, frozen croissant breakfast sandwiches, frozen homemade hot pockets.   We also decided to help the budget and the taste, we need to mix the wheat flour with white flour... and use just white flour for things like cookies and pizza dough and bread... because it just tastes better.  

So.. on my list for breakfasts when Dennis is home (we're pretty boring the days he works.. eggs, bacon, yogurt and cereal for the kids).  
Croissant breakfast sandwiches
Omelets
Cinnamon Rolls
Cowboy Hash 

I'm really hoping we like the croissant breakfast sandwiches, because I can pre-make those, freeze them, then all we have to do is put them in the oven or toaster oven and it's a quick breakfast.. I'll also make some egg free for our four year old.  

For Dennis' work lunch we're not changing anything.  Salad (which is a home-mix of romaine, cabbage and spinach) with croutons, bacon bits, sunflower seeds and dressing.  A pickle, boiled eggs and some sort of Little Debbie-type snack for a treat.  The dressing depends on what Aldi has. 

For our weekday lunches, we're trying homemade hot pockets, I've been making meatless goulash for the kids and PB & J... I usually eat eggs or leftovers depending on what's there.  

Wednesdays we're back to getting chicken strips from Sam's.. and we bought a french fry cutter to do homemade french fries in hopes with a uniform cut, they'll cook better.. my homemade fries aren't that grand.  We're usually cleaning or doing yard work on Saturdays, so that's a pretty easy lunch for me to throw in the oven.  If we have a ton of leftovers, we'll do leftovers instead. 

Saturday lunches we'll have a week of Chicken Breast Lettuce Cups (basically a chicken breast sandwich except using lettuce for the bun, and a week of meatball subs, then rotate... 

Snacks.. I'm sure I'll make cookies at some point.. but I'm getting fruit and raisins and peanuts.  And we always have popcorn. 

Now onto the main event. The Dinners.. Most of these we'll do more than once, but there a few of them we've never had that we'll only do once.  
  

Dorito Taco Salad
Honey Mustard Chicken Avocado Salad
Homemade Pizza (some pepperoni, some Hawaiian)
Pesto Parmesan Chicken and Salad
Skinny Sweet Chicken and Salad
Smoky Maple Mustard Fish Fillets and Broccoli and Potatoes
Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches and fries
Sweet and Sour Chicken and Fried Rice
Crockpot Hawaiian Meatballs
Shrimp and Avocado Salad
Avocado Caprese Chicken Salad
BBQ Chicken Salad
BLT Salad
Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole (freezer meal!!)
Pineapple Chicken Tenders and Salad
Dijon Grilled Pork Chops, Broccoli and Potatoes
Cheesy Chicken and Sweet Potato Casserole 


Man.. Now I'm hungry just typing that all up again!  


The baby is doing good, kicking up a storm, especially when the big kids try to cuddle.  

Shopping trip coming this weekend with a trip to the Farmer's Market!! Hopefully we can get some good deals. 

Have a good week! 

~Tabitha

Baby Quilt Time! Getting Ready for Baby 2018

This is sort of a bitter sweet post... More sweet in my opinion.  

We lost a baby in October.  Dennis was my lifeline, reminded me to look to God, made me talk to him (side effect of having a husband with a degree in psychology lol) and put me on Ashawagandha root (I can never spell that right!!!). (I think I just gave my 9th grade English teacher an anxiety attack for overuse of parenthesis in a horribly run on sentence.)  For whatever reason, God decided he needed our baby in Heaven.  

Thankfully, God gave us a new blessing.  

In the pregnancy world, the baby after you lose one is called a rainbow baby.  

In the Bible (Genesis 6-9), the rainbow is a promise of renewal.  A promise that God is still with us.  


As soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew I was going to be making a rainbow quilt of some sort for this baby... When I got to 10 weeks, I told Dennis I wanted to do this and why.  He said "Well... in the Bible a rainbow is a promise that God is always with us... so we should do something that incorporate Noah's Ark, too."  I am SO thankful for the way his mind works.  <3 


So I went on a hunt.  And what a hunt it was.  I wanted a big panel with a Noah's Ark theme, to be surrounded by the material my friend I lost in January gave me.  Partly because I already had the material, mostly because she grieved almost more than I did when we lost our angel in October.. then we lost her unexpectedly and I still grieve for her, though I know she's in a better place.   

I finally found what I was looking for at Hancock's of Paducah. I had no idea that finding Noah's Ark themed material was going to be so difficult!  The surrounding rainbow colored fabric is what I had from my dear friend.  We bought a light blue minky fabric for the backing from Joann's.  I love the minky fabric, I bought it for Hannah's quilt and knew that's what I wanted again.  We have extra batting from previous projects, so I didn't have to buy that.  

The cool thing about the minky, we hadn't ordered the panel from Hancock's yet.. We had decided to stay in town between church services one Sunday and went over to Joann's.. picked the blue that's gender neutral and hoped it matched.  IT MATCHES PERFECTLY!!!

Now... because I wanted it before July (baby will be here by September hopefully and I have a million other sewing projects), we bought it when we had the money... then forgot the coupon when we went to Joann's... so paid an arm and a leg for the minky.  OOF.  

We spent $60 on the quilt (mostly the minky as the panel was only $10 with shipping)-but it's really the only expense we're going to have with this little one.  Everything else is either hand me downs, or things I am sewing from patterns and fabric I already have.  

I am going to try machine quilting... but that's something I've never even attempted and it seems all of the tutorials I find say it's best to use some sort of a template.... SO.. if anybody has any ideas that don't involve more money spent, please pass them along because I have no idea what I'm doing. 

So here's how I laid the quilt out.  Yes, I know the quilt squares aren't "square" and the ends don't match up... but I have a plan and will do a bit more laying out before I sew.. This quilting stuff is still pretty new to me. Please excuse the mess, I just cleaned and vacuumed yesterday.. but.. well.. kids. lol

Have a great week! 

~Tabitha